What counts now as far left, many bridges too far for the Labour party – that housing is a human right, that tertiary education is an investment in the future that we all should share, that wages must be liveable or they don’t count as wages – would, within the past decade, have been known as common sense. To chase the centre is to chase the ever-shifting territory of your opponent’s demarcation

I’ve set myself lots of physical challenges over the last few years – triathlons, marathons, coast-to-coast cycle rides, the Dunwich Dynamo – and my body has carried me through them all. I have loved going beyond what I thought I could do, and discovering what I am physically and mentally capable of. This is a new physical challenge and not one I would ever have chosen. And it’s not going to be some great fitness adventure – it’s going to be shit. But I hope my body, mind and spirit will serve me well and carry me through.